Latest news & insights

The National Employers for local government services announced yesterday, 23rd February, the offer of a pay increase of at least £1,925 from April 2023.

The recently published evidence to the STRB reiterates the Department’s view that targeting pay at the early career with a higher starting salary of £30,000  ‘’remains critical to addressing recruitment and retention challenges where they are greatest and thereby ensuring good value for money for taxpayers’’. 

School budget setting season is nearly upon us. In this article, we highlight some key points that aim to support budget planning assumptions.

On the 10th of January 2023, The Secretary of State for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy introduced the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill 2023(2), (the Bill) which is designed to enable employers to require enough workers to work to ensure minimum service levels are delivered during strikes within relevant services.  

On 12th January 2023 the Government announced a consultation on calculating holiday pay entitlement for part-year and irregular hours workers.   

The government has announced a new Energy Bills Discount Scheme for businesses, charities and the public sector from April 2023. 

DfE announces additional school capital funding for the 2022/23 financial year The Department for Education recently announced an additional £447 million in capital allocations for schools on top of the Devolved Formula Capital (DFC) already allocated. With payments expected in December 22, each school, or eligible institution, will receive a lump sum of £10,000 and an amount per pupil of £20.06, weighted by the phase of the pupil. Schools must spend this funding on capital projects, with the focus on projects to improve your school’s energy efficiency. Full details of your school’s allocation can be found here along with the ‘condition grants spend guidance’: School capital funding - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 

The Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has confirmed that the Schools Bill introduced earlier this year will now not progress.  Ms Keegan said that parliamentary time had been ‘reprioritised’ to focus on tackling the rising cost of living. She also said that ministers ‘remain committed’ to the objectives of the Schools Bill. She said ‘A lot of the Schools White Paper is being implemented and did not require legislation in many cases’. The government will look at making progress with its academy plans without new legislation, and the academy regulation review will continue.  

What have we learnt from the budget statement announcement today for the future of school budgets?